It is indeed striking to note the difference between the words of Jesus Christ (pbuh) and the Christian dogma of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus (pbuh). Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity for himself. In fact, various verses of the Bible point to Jesus’ (pbuh) actual mission, which was to fulfill the law revealed to Prophet Moses (pbuh). NOTE: All quotations of the Bible are taken from the King James Version. This special position of humans in the creation, which makes them coworkers of God in the preservation and consummation of the creation, brings a decisively new characteristic into the understanding of God. Th… Consider the following incident mentioned in the Bible: “And behold, one came and said unto him, ‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’, And he said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me good? Jesus (pbuh) thus reiterated the message of monotheism that was given by all earlier prophets of Almighty God. What is decisively new in the Christian, New Testament faith in God lies in the fact that this faith is so closely bound up with the person, teaching, and work of Jesus Christ that it is difficult to draw boundaries between theology (doctrines of God) and Christology (doctrines of Christ). The believer thus maintains, on the one hand, acknowledgement of divine omnipotence as the creative power of God, which also operates in the preservation of the world, and, on the other hand, trusts in the world, which—despite all its contradictions—is understood as one world created by God according to definite laws and principles and according to an inner plan. The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (pbuh) mission in the following verses: (i)”… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” Within the Christian perception and experience of God, characteristic features stand out: (1) the personality of God, (2) God as the Creator, (3) God as the Lord of history, and (4) God as Judge. Therefore, the Christian concept of God is rationally unobjectionable. Christianity owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). The personal consciousness of human beings awakens in the encounter with God understood as a person: “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God to confirm the previous Judaic law. The Christian God is a personal God. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ (pbuh). CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY: 1. Despite all this, religions claim God is one. Christianity owes it name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). [The Bible, Isaiah 43:11], (ii) “I am Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me.” However, the Protestant Bible i.e. Experiences can be internal and effable, such as a vision, or internal and ineffable, as is claimed by some mystics. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” [The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]. Typically, these religions agree that God has the following 4 divine attributes: 1. Hindu sages gave the concept of multiplicity of Gods and connected them with almost every aspect of life. The First Commandment is that God is One. The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ (pbuh). Jesus (pbuh) is also a revered figure in Islam. Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity. God is conceived of as eternal, omnipotent, omniscient and as the creator of the universe. [The Bible, John 5:30], 2. Is the concept of God in Christianity (the Trinity) three Gods or One. Key features of this concept are that: J-C God is: 1. [The Bible, Mathew 12:28], (iv) “…I with the finger of God cast out devils….” It is a Hebrew quotation which means: (3) This new characteristic is God as the Lord of history, which is the main feature of the Old Testament understanding of God: God selects a special people and contracts a special covenant with them. The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence on the … God Fundamental to Christian belief is the existence of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit Creation Christians believe the universe and human life are God’s good creation. Duaa’s for protection from harms and diseases, Junob and cannot perform ghusl or tayammum, Does a woman who miscarries and discharges blood pray. One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? A study of the Christian scriptures reveals that Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity. In addition, Ken, John, and Richard discuss how a finite mind can try to understand an infinite concept like God. Appeal to the sonship of God played a crucial role in the development of Jesus’ messianic self-understanding. (1) God, as person, is the “I am who I am” designated in Exodus 3:14. On the contrary he said that the path to salvation was through keeping the commandments. Omnipotence 2. (i) Old Testament condemns idol worship in the following verses: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:”, “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” As such, it demands total surrender and promises totalfulfillment. (2) God is also viewed as the Creator of heaven and earth. (ii) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deuteronomy: “Thou shalt have none other gods before me.”, “Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth.”, “Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” 5. by IqraIslamQA. Indeed Jesus (pbuh) rejected any suggestions that attributed divinity to him, and explained his miracles as the power of the One True God. Omnibenevolence 4. Concept of God First let’s look the idea of God. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. This is seen clearly in both the Old and New Testaments, in which God is described in strongly personal terms (father, shepherd, etc.) CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY I INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY: Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents all over the world. Christian God is different from the Allah of Muslims. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [The Bible, John 10:29], (iii) “…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God….” May 8, 2016 Uncategorized Concept of God in Christianity Christianity is a Semitic religion. [1] Tillich's claim is not self-evident. [The Bible, Luke 11:20], (v) “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” b) The complete Bible, i.e. In prayers Jesus used the Aramaic word abba (“father”) for God, which is otherwise unusual in religious discourse in Judaism; it was usually employed by children for their earthly father. [The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]. the King James Version, contains only 66 books as they consider 7 books of the Old Testament to be apocrypha, i.e. The special relationship of Jesus to God is expressed through his designation of God as Father. In fact the Bible contains statements attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in which he preached quite the contrary. [The Bible, Mathew 5:17-20]. CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY: Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly two billion adherents all over the world. Hindu Gods are different from the Christian God. Humans are made in the image of God. Jesus (pbuh) is also a revered figure in Islam.Islam is the only non-Christian Faith that prescribes faith in Jesus (pbuh): Before we discuss the concept of God… It is striking that the basic teachings of the Church such as Trinity and vicarious atonement find no mention in the Bible. Of course, ordinary Christians don't actually think like that, in [The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]. In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). The Trinity expresses the belief that God is one being made up of three distinct persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is further held to have the properties of holiness, justice, omnibenevolence and omnipresence. At its most basic, Christianity is the faith tradition that focuses on the figure of Jesus Christ. According to the Christian religion God is divine and is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscience and that man was made in his image. Christianity adopted this complicated idea of God because it was the only way they could make sense of One God in the context of the events and teaching of … God (the father), Jesus (the son), and the holy spirit. [The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]. The Mission of Jesus Christ (pbuh) – to Fulfill the Law. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” We believe he was the Messiah translated Christ (pbuh). It is alsoexperienced as overwhelmingly real and valuable—indeed, so realand so valuable that, in comparison, all other things appear empty andworthless. Islam 101 is an educational site on Islam, Muslims, its theology, rituals, human rights, jihad, sharia and history. The Abrahamic God in this sense is the conception of God that remains a common attribute of all three traditions. Fall Humans have a tendency to go their own way rather than keep their place […] God sets before them a definite goal of salvation—the establishment of a divine dominion—and through the prophets admonishes the people by proclamations of salvation and calamity whenever they are unfaithful to the covenant and promise. We believe that he was one of the mightiest Messengers of Allah (swt). Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity: One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? II)Concept of God in Christianity 1. Now in claiming this, I’m not trying to put anybody down or attack someone personally. One of the scribes once asked Jesus (pbuh) as to which was the first commandment of all, to which Jesus (pbuh) merely repeated what Moses (pbuh) had said earlier: “Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adonai Ikhad.”, “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” Eternal/everlasting However, there are a number of arguments which claim that these characteristics are logically inconsistent. As a tradition, Christianity is more than a system of religious belief. [The Bible, John 14:24], (ii)”And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” Christianity owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). 1. The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah: (i) “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” Revelation can be link… Now "God" has many meanings depending on who you ask. The Israelite belief that the disclosure of God comes through the history of divinely led people leads, with an inner logic, to the proclamation of God as the Lord of world history and as the Judge of the world. However the New Testament of both these sects contains 27 books. [The Bible, John 17:3], 4. God created the world in six days, and rested on the seventh in the Christian … Jesus (pbuh) of Nazareth – a Man Approved of God. The following statement from the Bible supports the Islamic belief that Jesus (pbuh) was a prophet of God. t. e. In Christianity, God is the eternal being who created and preserves all things. In this context, faith refers both to the believers’ act of trust and to the content of their faith. in India alone, there are 33 crore God and Goddesses whom the Hindus worship. Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (pbuh). I) Position of Jesus (pbuh) in Islam: (i)Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (pbuh). [The Bible, John 14:28], (ii) “My Father is greater than all.” We will call this the Judeo-Christian concept of God, or the God of Theism. The Holy Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christians: a) The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. the Old Testament and the New Testament put together, contains 73 books. [The Bible, Mathew 19:16-17]. by Dr. Zakir Naik. Prayer—Ephesians 3:14-21 (strengthened by his Spirit, know the love of Christ, filled with the fullness of God). We believe that he gave life to the dead with God’s permission. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, The relation of the early church to late Judaism, The relation of the early church to the career and intentions of Jesus, The contemporary social, religious, and intellectual world, The internal development of the early Christian church, Relations between Christianity and the Roman government and the Hellenistic culture, The early liturgy, the calendar, and the arts, Theological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries, Political relations between East and West, The Photian schism and the great East-West schism, Christianity from the 16th to the 21st century, Scripture and tradition: the apostolic witness, Evangelism: the first teaching about the God of Jesus Christ, Catechesis: instructing candidates for baptism, Aversion of heresy: the establishment of orthodoxy, Restatement: respecting language and knowledge, Inculturation: respecting places and peoples, Development: the maturation of understanding, Schism: division over substantial matters, Characteristic features of the Christian concept of God, The belief in the oneness of the Father and the Son, Different interpretations of the person of Jesus, The doctrine of the Virgin Mary and holy Wisdom, Conflict between order and charismatic freedom, The basis for the doctrine of the Trinity, The “new man”: The human being in the light of Christ, New liturgical forms and antiliturgical attitudes, Veneration of places, objects, and people, Expectations of the Kingdom of God in early Christianity, Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the medieval and Reformation periods, Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the post-Reformation period, The role of imminent expectation in missions and emigrations, Eschatological expectations and secularization, History of the interactions of philosophy and theology, Arguments from religious experience and miracles, Characteristics of Christian myth and legend, Messianic secrets and the mysteries of salvation, The church and the Byzantine, or Eastern, Empire, Church and state in Eastern and Western theology, Intellectualism versus anti-intellectualism, The tendency to spiritualize and individualize marriage, Missions to South East Asia and the Pacific, Ecumenism since the start of the 20th century.